News from Ukraine, Eastern Europe

"Our goal is to make the cost of this war unbearable for Russia," Mykhailo Fedorov said.

For many Russian troops fighting in Ukraine, Telegram is not just a social network — it is a core operational tool.

Russian troop losses in January exceeded the number of newly mobilized and contracted soldiers for the second consecutive month, Robert "Magyar" Brovdi, commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, said on Feb. 5.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that the messenger's management doesn't comply with Russian laws, and that the "chance for reaching an agreement" will arise if Meta "engages in dialogue with the Russian authorities."

"Sport shouldn’t mean amnesia, and the Olympic movement should help stop wars, not play into the hands of aggressors," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the ballistic missiles were targeting the city's infrastructure facilities.

The funding comes as Russia continues large-scale missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure.

This Valentine’s Day, the Kyiv Independent is introducing two new designs that turn love into action: “I love the Kyiv Independent” and “I love Ukraine.”

Following the strike, a fire and heavy smoke were reported at the facility.

Ukrainian drones struck a Russian military plant in Michurinsk, Tambov Oblast, and a Defense Ministry site in Kotluban, Volgograd Oblast, overnight on Feb. 11-12, independent media and local authorities reported.

A documentary by The Kyiv Independent about Ukrainian military medics working on the front lines of Russia’s war will be screened in three European capitals in February, marking the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Short track speed skater Oleh Handei said his helmet bore a line from Ukrainian poet Lina Kostenko: "Where there is heroism, there is no final defeat." It was banned from the Olympics on the grounds of being a "political slogan."